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Ashrafizadeh M, Luo K, Zhang W, Reza Aref A, Zhang X. Acquired and intrinsic gemcitabine resistance in pancreatic cancer therapy: Environmental factors, molecular profile and drug/nanotherapeutic approaches. Environ Res 2024; 240:117443. [PMID: 37863168 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2023.117443] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2023] [Revised: 09/17/2023] [Accepted: 10/17/2023] [Indexed: 10/22/2023]
Abstract
A high number of cancer patients around the world rely on gemcitabine (GEM) for chemotherapy. During local metastasis of cancers, surgery is beneficial for therapy, but dissemination in distant organs leads to using chemotherapy alone or in combination with surgery to prevent cancer recurrence. Therapy failure can be observed as a result of GEM resistance, threatening life of pancreatic cancer (PC) patients. The mortality and morbidity of PC in contrast to other tumors are increasing. GEM chemotherapy is widely utilized for PC suppression, but resistance has encountered its therapeutic impacts. The purpose of current review is to bring a broad concept about role of biological mechanisms and pathways in the development of GEM resistance in PC and then, therapeutic strategies based on using drugs or nanostructures for overcoming chemoresistance. Dysregulation of the epigenetic factors especially non-coding RNA transcripts can cause development of GEM resistance in PC and miRNA transfection or using genetic tools such as siRNA for modulating expression level of these factors for changing GEM resistance are suggested. The overexpression of anti-apoptotic proteins and survival genes can contribute to GEM resistance in PC. Moreover, supportive autophagy inhibits apoptosis and stimulates GEM resistance in PC cells. Increase in metabolism, glycolysis induction and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) stimulation are considered as other factors participating in GEM resistance in PC. Drugs can suppress tumorigenesis in PC and inhibit survival factors and pathways in increasing GEM sensitivity in PC. More importantly, nanoparticles can increase pharmacokinetic profile of GEM and promote its blood circulation and accumulation in cancer site. Nanoparticles mediate delivery of GEM with genes and drugs to suppress tumorigenesis in PC and increase drug sensitivity. The basic research displays significant connection among dysregulated pathways and GEM resistance, but the lack of clinical application is a drawback that can be responded in future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Milad Ashrafizadeh
- Department of General Surgery and Institute of Precision Diagnosis and Treatment of Digestive System Tumors, Carson International Cancer Center, Shenzhen University General Hospital, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, Guangdong, 518055, China; International Association for Diagnosis and Treatment of Cancer, Shenzhen, Guangdong, 518055, China; Shanghai Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China.
| | - Kuo Luo
- Department of Oncology, Chongqing Hyheia Hospital, Chongqing, 4001331, China
| | - Wei Zhang
- Department of General Surgery and Institute of Precision Diagnosis and Treatment of Digestive System Tumors, Carson International Cancer Center, Shenzhen University General Hospital, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, Guangdong, 518055, China
| | - Amir Reza Aref
- Belfer Center for Applied Cancer Science, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Xianbin Zhang
- Department of General Surgery and Institute of Precision Diagnosis and Treatment of Digestive System Tumors, Carson International Cancer Center, Shenzhen University General Hospital, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, Guangdong, 518055, China.
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Greco A, Coperchini F, Croce L, Magri F, Teliti M, Rotondi M. Drug repositioning in thyroid cancer treatment: the intriguing case of anti-diabetic drugs. Front Pharmacol 2023; 14:1303844. [PMID: 38146457 PMCID: PMC10749369 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2023.1303844] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2023] [Accepted: 11/30/2023] [Indexed: 12/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Cancer represents the main cause of death worldwide. Thyroid cancer (TC) shows an overall good rate of survival, however there is a percentage of patients that do not respond or are refractory to common therapies. Thus new therapeutics strategies are required. In the past decade, drug repositioning become very important in the field of cancer therapy. This approach shows several advantages including the saving of: i) time, ii) costs, iii) de novo studies regarding the safety (just characterized) of a drug. Regarding TC, few studies considered the potential repositioning of drugs. On the other hand, certain anti-diabetic drugs, were the focus of interesting studies on TC therapy, in view of the fact that they exhibited potential anti-tumor effects. Among these anti-diabetic compounds, not all were judjed as appropriate for repositioning, in view of well documented side effects. However, just to give few examples biguanides, DPP-4-inhibitors and Thiazolidinediones were found to exert strong anti-cancer effects in TC. Indeed, their effects spaced from induction of citotoxicity and inhibition of metastatic spread, to induction of de-differentiation of TC cells and modulation of TC microenvironment. Thus, the multifacial anti-cancer effect of these compounds would make the basis also for combinatory strategies. The present review is aimed at discuss data from studies regarding the anti-cancer effects of several anti-diabetic drugs recently showed in TC in view of their potential repositioning. Specific examples of anti-diabetic repositionable drugs for TC treatment will also be provided.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessia Greco
- Department of Internal Medicine and Therapeutics, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
- Laboratory for Endocrine Disruptors, Unit of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Istituti Clinici Scientifici Maugeri IRCCS, Pavia, Italy
| | - Francesca Coperchini
- Department of Internal Medicine and Therapeutics, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
- Laboratory for Endocrine Disruptors, Unit of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Istituti Clinici Scientifici Maugeri IRCCS, Pavia, Italy
| | - Laura Croce
- Department of Internal Medicine and Therapeutics, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
- Laboratory for Endocrine Disruptors, Unit of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Istituti Clinici Scientifici Maugeri IRCCS, Pavia, Italy
| | - Flavia Magri
- Department of Internal Medicine and Therapeutics, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
- Laboratory for Endocrine Disruptors, Unit of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Istituti Clinici Scientifici Maugeri IRCCS, Pavia, Italy
| | - Marsida Teliti
- Department of Internal Medicine and Therapeutics, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
- Laboratory for Endocrine Disruptors, Unit of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Istituti Clinici Scientifici Maugeri IRCCS, Pavia, Italy
| | - Mario Rotondi
- Department of Internal Medicine and Therapeutics, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
- Laboratory for Endocrine Disruptors, Unit of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Istituti Clinici Scientifici Maugeri IRCCS, Pavia, Italy
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Lee JE, Lee P, Yoon YC, Han BS, Ko S, Park MS, Lee YJ, Kim SE, Cho YJ, Lim JH, Ryu JK, Shim S, Kim DK, Jung KH, Hong SS. Vactosertib, TGF-β receptor I inhibitor, augments the sensitization of the anti-cancer activity of gemcitabine in pancreatic cancer. Biomed Pharmacother 2023; 162:114716. [PMID: 37086509 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2023.114716] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2023] [Revised: 04/04/2023] [Accepted: 04/14/2023] [Indexed: 04/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) exhibits a pronounced extracellular matrix (ECM)-rich response, which is produced by an excessive amount of transforming growth factor β (TGF-β), resulting in tumor progression and metastasis. In addition, TGF-β signaling contributes to rapidly acquired resistance and incomplete response to gemcitabine. Recently, selective inhibitors of the TGF-β signaling pathway have shown promise in PDAC treatment, particularly as an option for augmenting responses to chemotherapy. Here, we investigated the synergistic anticancer effects of a small-molecule TGF-β receptor I kinase inhibitor (vactosertib/EW-7197) in the presence of gemcitabine, and its mechanism of action in pancreatic cancer. Vactosertib sensitized pancreatic cancer cells to gemcitabine by synergistically inhibiting their viability. Importantly, the combination of vactosertib and gemcitabine significantly attenuated the expression of major ECM components, including collagens, fibronectin, and α-SMA, in pancreatic cancer compared with gemcitabine alone. This resulted in potent induction of mitochondrial-mediated apoptosis, gemcitabine-mediated cytotoxicity, and inhibition of tumor ECM by vactosertib. Additionally, the combination decreased metastasis through inhibition of migration and invasion, and exhibited synergistic anti-cancer activity by inhibiting the TGF-β/Smad2 pathway in pancreatic cancer cells. Furthermore, co-treatment significantly suppressed tumor growth in orthotopic models. Therefore, our findings demonstrate that vactosertib synergistically increased the antitumor activity of gemcitabine via inhibition of ECM component production by inhibiting the TGF-β/Smad2 signaling pathway. This suggests that the combination of vactosertib and gemcitabine may be a potential treatment option for patients with pancreatic cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ji Eun Lee
- Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, and Program in Biomedical Science & Engineering, Inha University, 3-ga, Sinheung-dong, Jung-gu, Incheon 22332, Republic of Korea
| | - Pureunchowon Lee
- Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, and Program in Biomedical Science & Engineering, Inha University, 3-ga, Sinheung-dong, Jung-gu, Incheon 22332, Republic of Korea
| | - Young-Chan Yoon
- Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, and Program in Biomedical Science & Engineering, Inha University, 3-ga, Sinheung-dong, Jung-gu, Incheon 22332, Republic of Korea
| | - Beom Seok Han
- Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, and Program in Biomedical Science & Engineering, Inha University, 3-ga, Sinheung-dong, Jung-gu, Incheon 22332, Republic of Korea
| | - Soyeon Ko
- Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, and Program in Biomedical Science & Engineering, Inha University, 3-ga, Sinheung-dong, Jung-gu, Incheon 22332, Republic of Korea
| | - Min Seok Park
- Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, and Program in Biomedical Science & Engineering, Inha University, 3-ga, Sinheung-dong, Jung-gu, Incheon 22332, Republic of Korea
| | - Yun Ji Lee
- Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, and Program in Biomedical Science & Engineering, Inha University, 3-ga, Sinheung-dong, Jung-gu, Incheon 22332, Republic of Korea
| | - Sang Eun Kim
- Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, and Program in Biomedical Science & Engineering, Inha University, 3-ga, Sinheung-dong, Jung-gu, Incheon 22332, Republic of Korea
| | - Ye Jin Cho
- Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, and Program in Biomedical Science & Engineering, Inha University, 3-ga, Sinheung-dong, Jung-gu, Incheon 22332, Republic of Korea
| | - Joo Han Lim
- Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, and Program in Biomedical Science & Engineering, Inha University, 3-ga, Sinheung-dong, Jung-gu, Incheon 22332, Republic of Korea
| | - Ji-Kan Ryu
- Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, and Program in Biomedical Science & Engineering, Inha University, 3-ga, Sinheung-dong, Jung-gu, Incheon 22332, Republic of Korea
| | - Soyeon Shim
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Ewha Womans University, 52, Ewhayeodae-gil, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul 03760, Republic of Korea
| | - Dae-Kee Kim
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Ewha Womans University, 52, Ewhayeodae-gil, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul 03760, Republic of Korea
| | - Kyung Hee Jung
- Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, and Program in Biomedical Science & Engineering, Inha University, 3-ga, Sinheung-dong, Jung-gu, Incheon 22332, Republic of Korea.
| | - Soon-Sun Hong
- Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, and Program in Biomedical Science & Engineering, Inha University, 3-ga, Sinheung-dong, Jung-gu, Incheon 22332, Republic of Korea.
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Chen CJ, Huang JY, Huang JQ, Deng JY, Shangguan XH, Chen AZ, Chen LT, Wu WH. Metformin attenuates multiple myeloma cell proliferation and encourages apoptosis by suppressing METTL3-mediated m6A methylation of THRAP3, RBM25, and USP4. Cell Cycle 2023; 22:986-1004. [PMID: 36762777 PMCID: PMC10054227 DOI: 10.1080/15384101.2023.2170521] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2022] [Accepted: 01/15/2023] [Indexed: 02/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Based on the results of epidemiological and preclinical studies, metformin can improve the prognosis of patients with malignant tumors. Studies have confirmed that metformin inhibits multiple myeloma (MM) cell proliferation and promotes apoptosis. Nevertheless, the specific mechanism remains to be elucidated. MM cells were intervened with different doses of metformin to detect cell proliferation and apoptosis. Western blotting and RT-qPCR were employed to assess the expression of METTL3, METTL14, WTAP, FTO, and ALKBH5 after metformin intervention. The microarray dataset GSE29023 was retrieved from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database and calculated using the R language (limma package) to authenticate differentially expressed genes (DEGs). The database for annotation, visualization, and integrated discovery (David) was applied for GO annotation analysis of DEGs. Subsequently, the string database and Cytoscape software were applied to construct protein-protein interaction (PPI) and DEM hub gene networks. Bioinformatics analysis and MeRIP were applied to predict and test METTL3-mediated m6A levels on mRNA of THRAP3, RBM25, and USP4 in METTL3 knocked-down cells. Then rescue experiments were performed to explore effects of METTL3 and THRAP3, RBM25, or USP4 on cell proliferation and apoptosis. The effect on MM cell xenograft tumor growth was observed by injection of metformin or/and overexpression of METTL3 in in vivo experiments. Metformin decreased cell proliferation and encouraged cell apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner. Global m6A modification was elevated in MM cells compared to normal cells, which was counteracted by metformin treatment. Furthermore, THRAP3, RBM25, and USP4 were identified as possible candidate genes for metformin treatment by GSE29023 data mining. METTL3 interference impaired m6A modification on mRNA of THRAP3, RBM25, and USP4 as well as expression levels. The mRNA stability and expression of THRAP3, RBM25, and USP4 was decreased after metformin treatment, which was reversed by METTL3 overexpression. THRAP3, RBM25 or USP4 knockdown reversed the assistance of METTL3 overexpression on the malignant behavior of MM cells. Finally, upregulation of METTL3 was shown to exert facilitative effects on xenograft tumor growth by blocking metformin injection. The present study demonstrates that metformin can repress the expression of THRAP3, RBM25, and USP4 by inhibiting METTL3-mediated m6A modification, which in turn hamper cell proliferation and promotes cell apoptosis.Abbreviations: multiple myeloma (MM), Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO), differentially expressed genes (DEGs), database for annotation, visualization and integrated discovery (David), protein-protein interaction (PPI), epithelial‑mesenchymal transition (EMT), methyltransferase like 3 (METTL3), methyltransferase like 14 (METTL14), wilms tumor 1-associated protein (WTAP), methyltransferase like 16 (METTL16), acute myeloid leukemia (AML), non-small lung cancer (NSCLC), glioma stem cells (GSCs), normal bone marrow-derived plasma cells (nPCs), false discovery rate (FDR), biological process (BP), optical density (OD), horseradish peroxidase (HRP), M6A RNA immunoprecipitation assay (MeRIP).
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Affiliation(s)
- Cong-Jie Chen
- Longyan First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Longyan, Fujian Province, China
| | - Jie-Yun Huang
- Longyan First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Longyan, Fujian Province, China
| | - Jian-Qing Huang
- Longyan First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Longyan, Fujian Province, China
| | - Jia-Yi Deng
- Longyan First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Longyan, Fujian Province, China
| | - Xiao-Hui Shangguan
- Longyan First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Longyan, Fujian Province, China
| | - Ai-Zhen Chen
- Longyan First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Longyan, Fujian Province, China
| | - Long-Tian Chen
- Longyan First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Longyan, Fujian Province, China
| | - Wei-Hao Wu
- Longyan First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Longyan, Fujian Province, China
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Zhang Z, Xu Y. FZD7 accelerates hepatic metastases in pancreatic cancer by strengthening EMT and stemness associated with TGF-β/SMAD3 signaling. Mol Med 2022; 28:82. [PMID: 35854234 PMCID: PMC9295360 DOI: 10.1186/s10020-022-00509-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2022] [Accepted: 07/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Metastasis of malignant tumors accelerates systemic failure and hastens the deaths of pancreatic cancer patients. During the metastatic process, the physical translocation of cancer cells from the primary lesion to distant organs and is crucial. CSCs properties, such as self-renewal and multiple-direction differentiation capacity are essential for colonization in the microenvironment of distant organs and metastatic lesion formation. It is widely believed that EMT can cause cancer cells to penetrate blood vessels by undergoing phenotypic and cytoskeletal changes, so that they can infiltrate surrounding tissue and disseminate from the primary tumor to the blood circulation, where they are termed circulating tumor cells (CTCs), while CTCs often exhibit stemness properties. Accumulating evidence demonstrates that some EMT-related transcription factors are essential for CSCs self-renewal, so cancer cells that have undergone EMT typically acquire increased stemness properties. Abnormal activation of the WNT signaling pathway can drive a series of gene transcripts to promote EMT in multiple types of cancer, and among different Frizzled receptors of WNT signaling pathway, FZD7 expression is associated with distant organ metastasis, advanced clinical stages, and poor clinical prognosis. Objective of this study is to demonstrate that high FZD7 expression in pancreatic cancer can accelerate hepatic metastases and elucidate the related molecular mechanisms. Methods The expression of Frrizled receptor 7 (FZD7) in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) and relating survival rate were analyzed by bioinformatics, histochemistry assay and follow-up study. In vitro, FZD7 expression was silenced by lentiviral vectors carrying short hair RNA (shRNA) or upregulated by overexpression plasmid. Then, Wound-healing and Transwell experiment was used to analyze the abilities of migration and invasion; the levels of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) relating phenotype proteins, stemness relating phenotype proteins, and signaling molecular proteins were measured by Western-blot; cell stemness was evaluated by sphere forming ability of cells in suspension culture and detecting the proportion of CD24+CD44+ cells with flow cytometry. TGF-β1 was used to induce EMT, and observe the effect of shRNA silencing FZD7 on which. Results High level of FZD7 expression in pancreatic cancer samples was associated with earlier hepatic metastasis. In vitro upregulation FZD7 can enable pancreatic cancer cells to obtain stronger migration and invasion ability and higher mesenchymal phenotype, and vice versa; the proportion of cancer stem cell (CSC) was also positively correlated with the level of FZD7; cells forming spheres in suspension culture showed stronger migration and invasion ability and higher level of mesenchymal phenotype than normal adherent cultured cells; the level of FZD7 was positively correlated with the level of activated β-catenin. Silencing FZD7 expression can attenuate EMT induced by TGF-β1 stimulating, and TGF-β1 stimulating can also upregulate stemness phenotype expression, such as ABCG2, CD24, and CD44 by mediating of FZD7. Conclusions High FZD7 expression in pancreatic cancer can accelerates hepatic metastases by promoting EMT and strengthening cell stemness, and FZD7 can work through the canonical Wingless-type (WNT) signaling pathway and participate in TGF-β/SMAD3 signaling pathway also.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhongbo Zhang
- Department of Pancreatic and Biliary Surgery, The First Hospital of China Medical University, 155 Nanjing North Street, Heping, Shenyang, 110001, Liaoning, People's Republic of China
| | - Yuanhong Xu
- Department of Pancreatic and Biliary Surgery, The First Hospital of China Medical University, 155 Nanjing North Street, Heping, Shenyang, 110001, Liaoning, People's Republic of China.
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Mirzaei S, Paskeh MDA, Saghari Y, Zarrabi A, Hamblin MR, Entezari M, Hashemi M, Aref AR, Hushmandi K, Kumar AP, Rabiee N, Ashrafizadeh M, Samarghandian S. Transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) in prostate cancer: A dual function mediator? Int J Biol Macromol 2022:S0141-8130(22)00340-3. [PMID: 35202639 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2022.02.094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2022] [Revised: 02/15/2022] [Accepted: 02/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) is a member of a family of secreted cytokines with vital biological functions in cells. The abnormal expression of TGF-β signaling is a common finding in pathological conditions, particularly cancer. Prostate cancer (PCa) is one of the leading causes of death among men. Several genetic and epigenetic alterations can result in PCa development, and govern its progression. The present review attempts to shed some light on the role of TGF-β signaling in PCa. TGF-β signaling can either stimulate or inhibit proliferation and viability of PCa cells, depending on the context. The metastasis of PCa cells is increased by TGF-β signaling via induction of EMT and MMPs. Furthermore, TGF-β signaling can induce drug resistance of PCa cells, and can lead to immune evasion via reducing the anti-tumor activity of cytotoxic T cells and stimulating regulatory T cells. Upstream mediators such as microRNAs and lncRNAs, can regulate TGF-β signaling in PCa. Furthermore, some pharmacological compounds such as thymoquinone and valproic acid can suppress TGF-β signaling for PCa therapy. TGF-β over-expression is associated with poor prognosis in PCa patients. Furthermore, TGF-β up-regulation before prostatectomy is associated with recurrence of PCa. Overall, current review discusses role of TGF-β signaling in proliferation, metastasis and therapy response of PCa cells and in order to improve knowledge towards its regulation, upstream mediators of TGF-β such as non-coding RNAs are described. Finally, TGF-β regulation and its clinical application are discussed.
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Duan X, Wang W, Pan Q, Guo L. Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Intersects With Pancreatic Cancer Diagnosis and Development. Front Oncol 2021; 11:730038. [PMID: 34485159 PMCID: PMC8415500 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2021.730038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2021] [Accepted: 07/30/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The relationship between type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and pancreatic cancer (PC) is complex. Diabetes is a known risk factor for PC, and new-onset diabetes (NOD) could be an early manifestation of PC that may be facilitate the early diagnosis of PC. Metformin offers a clear benefit of inhibiting PC, whereas insulin therapy may increase the risk of PC development. No evidence has shown that novel hypoglycemic drugs help or prevent PC. In this review, the effects of T2DM on PC development are summarized, and novel strategies for the prevention and treatment of T2DM and PC are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoye Duan
- Department of Endocrinology, Beijing Hospital, National Center of Gerontology, Institute of Geriatric Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China.,Graduate School of Peking Union Medical College, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Weihao Wang
- Department of Endocrinology, Beijing Hospital, National Center of Gerontology, Institute of Geriatric Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Qi Pan
- Department of Endocrinology, Beijing Hospital, National Center of Gerontology, Institute of Geriatric Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Lixin Guo
- Department of Endocrinology, Beijing Hospital, National Center of Gerontology, Institute of Geriatric Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China.,Graduate School of Peking Union Medical College, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
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Li SX, Li C, Pang XR, Zhang J, Yu GC, Yeo AJ, Lavin MF, Shao H, Jia Q, Peng C. Metformin Attenuates Silica-Induced Pulmonary Fibrosis by Activating Autophagy via the AMPK-mTOR Signaling Pathway. Front Pharmacol 2021; 12:719589. [PMID: 34434111 PMCID: PMC8381252 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2021.719589] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2021] [Accepted: 07/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Long-term exposure to crystalline silica particles leads to silicosis characterized by persistent inflammation and progressive fibrosis in the lung. So far, there is no specific treatment to cure the disease other than supportive care. In this study, we examined the effects of metformin, a prescribed drug for type || diabetes on silicosis and explored the possible mechanisms in an established rat silicosis model in vivo, and an in vitro co-cultured model containing human macrophages cells (THP-1) and human bronchial epithelial cells (HBEC). Our results showed that metformin significantly alleviated the inflammation and fibrosis of lung tissues of rats exposed to silica particles. Metformin significantly reduced silica particle-induced inflammatory cytokines including transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-1β (IL-1β) in rat lung tissue and HBEC culture supernatant. The protein levels of Vimentin and α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) were significantly decreased by metfomin while expression level of E-cadherin (E-Cad) increased. Besides, metformin increased the expression levels of phosphorylated adenosine 5′-monophosphate (AMP)-activated protein kinase (p-AMPK), microtubule-associated protein (MAP) light chain 3B (LC3B) and Beclin1 proteins, and reduced levels of phosphorylated mammalian target of rapamycin (p-mTOR) and p62 proteins in vivo and in vitro. These results suggest that metformin could inhibit silica-induced pulmonary fibrosis by activating autophagy through the AMPK-mTOR pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shu-Xian Li
- Shandong Academy of Occupational Health and Occupational Medicine, Shandong First Medical University and Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, China
| | - Chao Li
- Shandong Academy of Occupational Health and Occupational Medicine, Shandong First Medical University and Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, China
| | - Xin-Ru Pang
- Shandong Academy of Occupational Health and Occupational Medicine, Shandong First Medical University and Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, China
| | - Juan Zhang
- Shandong Academy of Occupational Health and Occupational Medicine, Shandong First Medical University and Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, China
| | - Gong-Chang Yu
- Neck-Shoulder and Lumbocrural Pain Hospital of Shandong First Medical University, Shandong First Medical University and Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, China
| | - Abrey J Yeo
- University of Queensland Centre for Clinical Research (UQCCR), Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Martin F Lavin
- University of Queensland Centre for Clinical Research (UQCCR), Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Hua Shao
- Shandong Academy of Occupational Health and Occupational Medicine, Shandong First Medical University and Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, China
| | - Qiang Jia
- Shandong Academy of Occupational Health and Occupational Medicine, Shandong First Medical University and Shandong Academy of Medical Sciences, Jinan, China
| | - Cheng Peng
- Queensland Alliance for Environmental Health Sciences (QAEHS), The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
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Moon J, Lee SY, Choi JW, Lee AR, Yoo JH, Moon SJ, Park SH, Cho ML. Metformin ameliorates scleroderma via inhibiting Th17 cells and reducing mTOR-STAT3 signaling in skin fibroblasts. J Transl Med 2021; 19:192. [PMID: 33947424 PMCID: PMC8097822 DOI: 10.1186/s12967-021-02860-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2020] [Accepted: 04/27/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Scleroderma is an autoimmune disease that causes dermal fibrosis. It occurs when collagen accumulates in tissue as a result of persistent inflammation. Th17 cells and pro-inflammatory cytokines such as IL-1β, IL-6, IL-17, and TNF-α play important roles in the pathogenesis of scleroderma. Because metformin, a medication used to treat diabetes, has effective immunoregulatory functions, we investigated its therapeutic function in scleroderma. Mice in a model of bleomycin-induced scleroderma were treated with metformin for 2 weeks. Histological assessment demonstrated protective effects of metformin against scleroderma. Metformin decreased the expression of pro-inflammatory factors in dermal tissue and lymphocytes. It also decreased mRNA expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, IL-6, IL-17, and TNF-α) and fibrosis-inducing molecules both in vivo and in vitro. These results suggest that metformin treatment has anti-inflammatory effects on lymphocytes via the inhibition of IL-17 and cytokines related to Th17 differentiation, such as IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α. To investigate how metformin modulates the inflammatory process in skin fibroblasts, we measured mTOR-STAT3 signaling in skin fibroblasts and found that phosphorylated mTOR and phosphorylated STAT3 protein expression were decreased by metformin treatment. These results suggest that metformin has potential to treat scleroderma by inhibiting pro-inflammatory cytokines and anti-inflammatory activity mediated by mTOR-STAT3 signaling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeonghyeon Moon
- Lab of Translational ImmunoMedicine, Catholic Research Institute of Medical Science, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, 06591, Republic of Korea
| | - Seon-Yeong Lee
- Rheumatism Research Center, Catholic Research Institute of Medical Science, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, 222 Banpo-Daero, Seocho-gu, Seoul, 06591, Republic of Korea
| | - Jeong Won Choi
- Rheumatism Research Center, Catholic Research Institute of Medical Science, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, 222 Banpo-Daero, Seocho-gu, Seoul, 06591, Republic of Korea
| | - A Ram Lee
- Rheumatism Research Center, Catholic Research Institute of Medical Science, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, 222 Banpo-Daero, Seocho-gu, Seoul, 06591, Republic of Korea.,Department of Biomedicine & Health Sciences, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, 222, Banpo-daero, Seocho-gu, Seoul, 06591, Republic of Korea
| | - Jin Hee Yoo
- Rheumatism Research Center, Catholic Research Institute of Medical Science, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, 222 Banpo-Daero, Seocho-gu, Seoul, 06591, Republic of Korea
| | - Su-Jin Moon
- Divison of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Uijeongbu St. Mary's Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Uijeongbu, 11765, Republic of Korea
| | - Sung-Hwan Park
- Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, 06591, Republic of Korea
| | - Mi-La Cho
- Lab of Translational ImmunoMedicine, Catholic Research Institute of Medical Science, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, 06591, Republic of Korea. .,Rheumatism Research Center, Catholic Research Institute of Medical Science, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, 222 Banpo-Daero, Seocho-gu, Seoul, 06591, Republic of Korea. .,Department of Biomedicine & Health Sciences, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, 222, Banpo-daero, Seocho-gu, Seoul, 06591, Republic of Korea. .,Department of Medical Lifescience, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, 222, Banpo-daero, Seocho-gu, Seoul, 06591, Republic of Korea.
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Li J, Huang W, Han Q, Xiong J, Song Z. LDLRAD2 promotes pancreatic cancer progression through Akt/mTOR signaling pathway. Med Oncol 2021; 38:2. [PMID: 33392788 DOI: 10.1007/s12032-020-01451-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2020] [Accepted: 11/27/2020] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Low-density lipoprotein receptor class A domain containing 2 (LDLRAD2) acts as a protein-coding gene in a large number of human diseases. However, the potential roles and underlying mechanism in pancreatic cancer remains unclear. Therefore, this study was conducted to address this question. Herein, we found that the expression of LDLRAD2 was elevated in pancreatic cancer tissues and cell lines. LDLRAD2 knockdown inhibited pancreatic cancer cell proliferation, migration, and invasion in vitro. Besides, silencing LDLRAD2 impaired tumor growth and metastasis in vivo and up-regulated the E-Cadherin level, whereas down-regulated the expression of N-Cadherin and Vimentin levels, which indicating that LDLRAD2 knockdown suppresses EMT. Additionally, LDLRAD2 knockdown decreased the Warburg effect and glycolytic enzymes expression. Pathway scan assay and western blotting assay indicated that LDLRAD2 knockdown significantly down-regulated the expression of phosphorylation of Akt and phosphorylation of mTOR, which suggested that knockdown of LDLRAD2 inhibits Akt/mTOR signaling pathway. Taken together, these findings suggested that LDLRAD2 may be an oncogene in pancreatic cancer via modulating Akt/mTOR signaling pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junhe Li
- Department of Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, 17 Yongwaizheng Street, Nanchang, 330006, Jiangxi, People's Republic of China
| | - Wei Huang
- Department of Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, 17 Yongwaizheng Street, Nanchang, 330006, Jiangxi, People's Republic of China
| | - Qing Han
- Department of Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, 17 Yongwaizheng Street, Nanchang, 330006, Jiangxi, People's Republic of China
| | - Jianping Xiong
- Department of Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, 17 Yongwaizheng Street, Nanchang, 330006, Jiangxi, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhiwang Song
- Department of Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, 17 Yongwaizheng Street, Nanchang, 330006, Jiangxi, People's Republic of China.
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